The Post2017

71/100 I found myself inexplicably comparing this to Lincoln while watching it, in that both are dramas which are more dull than many of their counterparts, yet also feel much realer. Steven Spielberg's direction is once again a highlight here, as it has been for the past few entries. He really makes the gritty newspaper offices feel real and manages to avoid the sensationalism I might expect of him from such a story, instead managing to add to its fresh interpretation with some good direction. The plot here is also really good, managing to make the story of the Pentagon papers feel fresh and handling it well. It also moves reasonably quickly, allowing for most of the film to feel good as a result. The best part, however, is the performance of the leads. Tom Hanks is amazing as Ben Bradlee, managing to make him feel real while also injecting some charisma in there. However, even he is outshined by Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham, who brilliantly portrays the character arc of developing from a meek underdog to a powerful executive. The feminist angle this film takes is another reason why it's so good, as well as another way it provides a fresh angle on this story. However, if there's one complaint about this film, it's that it's really dull. There's enough entertaining stuff in there, but really about half an hour could be cut from this film and it would only be an improvement. It makes the film feel more real, but not really more entertaining. Overall, this film is good, but it's far from perfect. I feel there's a lot holding it back, but thankfully, it's outweighed by everything good about it. It's a perfectly fine political thriller as well as a good, if flawed, movie overall.